Hotel floor collapses, another hotel tilting as two die in Taiwan quake
A magnitude-6.4 earthquake has struck near the coast of Taiwan, killing two hotel employees and injuring 144 other people, officials said.
The Central News Agency reported that the ground floor of the Marshal Hotel, a building in Hualien district, had caved in and people were believed to be trapped inside.
Taiwanese media reported that a separate hotel known as the Beautiful Life Hotel was tilting.
The agency also posted photos showing a road fractured in several parts.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck late on Tuesday about 21 kilometres (13 miles) north east of Hualien, on the island's east coast.
It occurred at a depth of about 9.5 kilometres (six miles).
The earthquake followed one over the weekend off the coast of Hualien, which lies along the famed "Pacific Rim of Fire" known for seismic activity from Alaska to South East Asia.
Search teams from other areas were heading to Hualien to help with operations.
A magnitude-6.4 earthquake has struck near the coast of Taiwan, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake struck about 13 miles north-east of Hualien, on the island's east coast.
Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported that the ground floor of the Marshal Hotel, in Hualien district, had caved in and people are believed to be trapped inside.
Emergency services are working to free people trapped in the hotel. The agency posted photos showing a road fractured in several parts.
Preliminary information suggests the quake was about six miles deep.
According to reports, the tremor struck at 3.50pm (Irish Time).
